Local man charged in abduction attempt

A Tauranga man accused of attempting to abduct an 11-year-old girl has been refused bail and lost his bid to keep his identity hidden.

Aden Kingi, 28, from Ohauiti, faced one charge each of attempted abduction and possession of cannabis when he appeared in the Tauranga District Court yesterday.

The attempted abduction charge stemmed from an allegation that Kingi approached the young girl while she was out biking in Ohauiti Rd on February 11, and tried to entice her into his vehicle.

The cannabis charge related to a small amount of the drug allegedly being found at his home during a police search.

Kingi, who has been remanded in custody without plea, sought bail from Judge Peter Rollo yesterday.

Crown prosecutor Rob Ronayne argued that Kingi should be kept in custody, and suppression should not be granted for openness of justice reasons.

Duty lawyer Larry Meredith said Kingi sought bail so he could continue to be a "father-figure" to his 2-and-half-year-old son.

Mr Meredith argued his client should be bailed on restrictive conditions which would help to allay police concerns about any potential risk to public safety.

Judge Rollo told Kingi that after considering the Crown opposition and all the material before him, he was satisfied the grounds for Kingi's continued detention had been made out and bail was refused.

In terms of the request for name suppression, Judge Rollo said he was not satisfied the grounds for non-publication were made out, and naming Kingi would enable any other potential complainants to come out.

The girl's mother spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times last night on the basis that her and her daughter's identities were not revealed.

She said the alleged attempted abduction occurred between 4.30pm and 5.30pm last Monday while her daughter was riding her bike to a friend's place.

The woman said staff at the school her daughter attended had been made aware of the alleged abduction attempt.

President of the Western Bay of Plenty Principals' Association Robert Hyndman said he was unaware of the allegations against Kingi, but schools and parents would obviously be concerned about any complaints of this nature.